The May 29th episode of SmackDown opened with a chaotic scene in the parking lot of the WWE performance center, with paramedics attending to Elias and a car totaled in the background. With paramedics, police, and backstage officials trying to sort things out, Jeff Hardy was being hauled of in handcuffs seemly intoxicated. In storyline this was this a poly by King Corbin and Shamus to get their respected rivals taken out of the Intercontinental Championship tournament. WWE has done angles with arrested and substance abused before, but the issue with this angel is that WWE is using Jeff Hardy’s very real and on-going alcohol abuse issues to advance a storyline. Jeff Hardy has had many WWE wellness policy violations, was arrested for drug possession in 2009, showed up to TNA Victory Road PPV in 2011 intoxicated and unfit to wrestle in his main event match against Sting, was arrested for public intoxication in July of 2019 and arrested for DWI in October of 2019. It is very distasteful for WWE to use Jeff’s addiction issues for a soap opera like angle to progress a storyline, consider his addictions issues have ended many of the storylines he has been involved in.

Jeff Hardy’s addiction has formed out his lifestyle combined with personality and injury from wrestling. Hardy and his brother Matt were WWE’s most creative and inventive Tag Teams, with Jeff being the highflying daredevil of the duo. Hardy has jumped off and through ladders, tables, cages, and chairs, leaving is body in ruins after years and years of doing such things. Jeff channels his creative through art work as well as his wrestling, he uses his personal demons, visions, and dreams to create some nightmarishly interesting works of art that represent the mental and emotional turmoil Jeff deals with. Jeff’s mental and emotional state combined with major injuries lead to Hardy’s ongoing issues with Drugs and alcohol. Issues that WWE realizes are hurting Hardy and after his most recent arrest have provide the services and resources to help him with his addiction. After helping Hardy and a history of big stars’ careers being cut short due to substance abuse, WWE still sees it fit to exploit a troubled soul’s addiction issue for a soap opera like angle to progress a storyline. There has been backlash from critics and fans alike about this angle, even Hardy’s brother Matt who recently left WWE for AEW spoke out on social media to show his disapproval. Substance abuse is major issue that effect millions of peoples’ lives all over the world. It is disgusting and low down for WWE uses Hardy’s past in a storyline and display it in trivial manner for the world to see.